According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,460 (the “460 patent”), [m]etal studs are used to form walls in building structures today, including load bearing walls such as exterior walls, [interior walls] and curtain walls. In a typical installation, the metal studs are secured by screws at their lower ends to a bottom track secured to a floor, and extend at their upper ends into a top track secured to overhead joists which may form the framework for an upper floor. The upper ends of the studs generally also are secured to the top track. Exterior wall materials and/or wall boards or other panels are applied to the sides of the studs to form a closed wall structure.”
“The load bearing walls are subject to axial loads (compressive loads on the studs) applied to the studs through the overhead joists, and also may be subject to transverse loads (for example, exterior walls may be subject to transverse loads from wind effects) and lateral loads acting in the plane of the wall. These loads may cause flexing (including bowing, twisting or other deformation of the stud) or turning of the metal studs which may cause the [Gypsum in the] walls to crack or otherwise be flawed or damaged. In load bearing walls, this problem is structural as well as aesthetic.”
“Bridging systems heretofore have been used to reinforce the metal stud walls by adding structural support between adjacent studs. Three known bridging systems include braced channel, welded channel, and block-and-strap bridging systems.”
“In the braced channel bridging system, a U-shape channel spans two or more metal studs, extending through a conduit hole in the web of each stud. An angled brace is fastened to both the channel and the web of the stud, generally with screws or rivets.”
“The welded channel bridging system also uses a U-shape channel which spans two or more metal studs and extends through conduit holes in the webs of the studs. The channel is then welded to the studs on one or both sides of the channel.”
“In the block-and-strap bridging system, sheet metal “blocks” are fastened between adjacent studs through bent tabs at their distal ends. Then a strap is fastened to one or both sides of two or more metal studs as well as to the respective side or sides of the blocks. Thus the studs are interconnected by the blocks between the studs as well as the straps along the sides of the studs, and the blocks and straps also are connected to each other.”
“The installation of metal stud wall systems, including the reinforcing bridging systems, heretofore has been a time consuming process. In a typical installation where the metal studs are fastened at their upper ends to a top track or channel, the attachment positions of the studs are marked off along the top track. Then each stud is fastened to each flange of the top track by screws. A ladder or a scaffold may be required if the top track is too high for the installer to reach. If a ladder is used, the installer climbs the ladder and fastens as many studs as he can reach to the near flange of the top track. Then he must climb down the ladder, move the ladder along the wall so that when he again climbs the ladder he can reach the next one or more studs for fastening to the top track. If a scaffold is used, much more time is expended setting up the scaffold. After doing this along one side of the wall, the process is repeated on the other side of the wall to fasten the studs to the other flange of the top track.”
“The metal studs must then be fastened at their lower ends to a bottom track or channel. Each stud must be carefully aligned and squared before being fastened to the bottom track. In addition, the bridging members described above also must be installed to interconnect the metal studs at one or more points between the top and bottom tracks. Because of the time consuming nature of the installation process, fasteners can be missed or forgotten. In the welded channel bridging systems, welders and their equipment are relatively expensive, and welds also can be missed, or can be improperly formed. Defects in welds can be particularly difficult to detect.”
“In addition, once the studs are installed, other trades people, such as plumbers and electricians, may remove the bridging members between two studs to give them more room to work, running plumbing lines or electrical lines, for example. If the bridging member is not replaced, the strength of the wall may be reduced.”
The invention described in the '460 patent attempts to solve the problems by providing “a stud bridging/spacing member includes an elongate member having at least three longitudinally spaced apart notches for receiving and engaging therein a web of a metal stud. The notches extend at an incline to the longitudinal axis of the elongate member to accommodate different gauges of metal studs while maintaining on-center spacing of studs when assembled in a stud wall.”
According to one embodiment of the invention in the '460 patent, “the notches extend inwardly at an angle of about two to about fifteen degrees relative to a perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and more preferably about five and a half degrees to about eight degrees, and most preferably about seven degrees. The notches have a width of about 0.050 inch (about 0.13 cm) to about 0.1 inch (about 0.2 cm), more preferably about 0.065 inch (about 0.16 cm) to about 0.080 inch (about 0.20 cm), and most preferably about 0.080 inch (about 0.20 cm). The elongate member is formed of fourteen, sixteen or eighteen gauge metal (more preferably steel and most preferably galvanized steel).”
The '460 patent continues with “[t]he at least three notches generally extend laterally inwardly from laterally outer edges of the elongate member. The elongate member may include a fourth notch equally spaced between at least two of the at least three notches. Each of the at least three notches in one portion of the elongate member may be laterally aligned with a corresponding notch in another portion of the elongate member, and/or the laterally aligned notches may incline in the same direction. The sides of the notches generally are parallel, and straight.”
“Further in accordance with an embodiment of the invention [disclosed in the '460 patent], the elongate member has a V-shape lateral cross-section formed by longitudinally extending planar first and second portions joined at respective longitudinal edges to form the sides and vertex of the V-shape. The elongate member further may include a pair of wing portions extending laterally outwardly from respective distal ends of the V-shape elongate member. The wing portions may extend in opposite directions from the V-shape elongate member, and each wing portion may extend a distance which is approximately one-third the width of the widest part of the V-shape elongate member. The angle of the V is at least about 90°, more preferably at least about 120° and most preferably about 130°. A shallow angle increases the transverse stiffness of the elongate member, although other means may be used for this purpose.”
“In assembling a metal stud wall including a row of metal studs each having at least two flanges interconnected by a web, each stud is fastened at a lower end to a base track. A stud bridging/spacing member is inserted through aligned openings in at least three metal studs, and longitudinally spaced apart notches in the stud bridging/spacing member are engaged with respective webs of the metal studs, thereby establishing and maintaining a fixed spacing between the metal studs and reinforcing the studs against deflection and turning under loading. When the notches engage the webs of the studs, a portion of the webs of the studs generally is caused to bend (at least under load conditions) in the direction of the inclines of the notches to retain the web in the engaged notch. The assembly method may also include securing a top end of each of the studs to a ceiling track.”
Review of the '460 patent, particularly FIGS. 4 and 10, shows the channel side of the bridge member pointing down, and the crease of the V on the outer channel side. There is no ability for this device to also function as a channel for mounting wiring and cabling.